After discussing the 4-color world of the original GameBoy all October, you'd think I'd be ready to jump back in to the far end of the pool with some SNES snazziness, or at least some high-quality NES games. But instead I thought I'd do a multi-week comparison of two clunky NES beat-em-ups which I seem to recall were ported from Commodore 64 games:

Bad Street Brawler and Target: Renegade

Yes, the title pages look silly and eerily similar, with their partially-serious/partially-hilarious fonts and their orangey-yellowy sleeveless protagonists.

This week, let's focus on the "Em"-s that you "Beat Up": we'll run down some of the basic foes that Duke Davis and the (targetted) Renegade do battle with during their quest for vengeance/sibling rescue/cleaning up the streets/whatever:

Early Level Repetative Enemies: Bad Street Brawler

Short guys and dogs; also a guy with a bat.

Short nuisance enemies, plus a magenta-skinned fellow who can wail away on you with sporting equipment, are the troops who oppose Duke Davis's early escapades.

Early Level Repetative Enemies: Target Renegade

Pink-&-Black attack, usually on motorcycles

Aside from the level boss, these pro wrestler-like dudes are the ONLY ones Targeting your Renegade in Level 1 and much of Level 2. And more often than not, you'll have to jump-kick them off bikes before they'll stand and fight.

Next Level Additions: Bad Street Brawler

Gorilla, Skateboarder

Most of the "Boss" enemies return to pick on you as foot soldiers in later levels, and these two are no exception.

Next Level Additions: Target Renegade

Flashers and Baseball Musclemen

You're accosted by balding fellows with long coats and no shirts who look like extras from N.A.R.C. or Total Recall's "factory" level. Additionally, Popeye's forearms look puny compared to these furious baseball fans -- they show up in baseball caps and occasional even have baseball bats to swing at you.

Target: Renegade's downtown is indeed a strange and disturbing reality.

Clad entirely in green (aside from their knee-length boots and some hair/tanktop color-glitching), these women have come to chew bubblegum, wander around the screen and throw gangly-looking uppercuts -- and they're all out of bubblegum!

Odd Oddities: Bad Street Brawler

Stretch and Chunky

12 foot tall basketball player? Morbidly obese hunchback? It's unclear if Duke Davis is street brawling or observing extremes of the human condition, but either way he'll have his (weirdly spherical) hands full with these guys!

Odd Oddities: Target Renegade

Mustachioed suspender-fellows, Tim's Gym's Toughs

Similar posture and posturing, totally different looks -- these odd dudes take a break from their weird hair and accessories to kick and punch the Renegade.

Wow, these games have a lot in common!

...in that they're both full of bizarrely-drawn individuals. But that's enough for this week; let's wrap up with some in-game inspirition: